It was good to see Maeglin laugh. Having his old friend, Aerin Gend with him seemed to have transformed him into a man she only half-recognized. It was almost as if his past slowly unfolded before her, layer after layer gradually peeling away as they continued talking. His laughter was genuine, even more so than before. Occasionally, Aerin would ask her about her home and herself, but mostly, she let them be. It was entertaining and heartwarming to see old friends reunited in the most unlikely of places and the most unpredictable of times. <BR><BR>After a while, they had decided to proceed back to their rooms. They continued their conversations as they walked, unmindful of everyone else around them. Tenar said goodbye to them and parted ways when they reached the door to her room. As they walked away, she stared at Maeglin’s retreating form, his voice inaudible but his head swayed animatedly. “Ow!” She cried out, stunned. Her will o’wisp had just burnt her skin, leaving a tiny dot of reddish skin. Grumbling, Tenar entered the room, cursing at her companion. “Yes, yes. But I can’t help it. Cursed outsiders. I should have stayed home, quit the Kyar’an and married a nice, respectable Naran.” <BR><BR>She noticed her wisp was ignoring her, flying pointedly above an envelope on the table by her bed. Tenar cursed even more after reading it. What did she know about balls? Foreigner balls, for that matter. There were no such thing in the desert. They had celebrations, feasts and merrymaking. They were rowdy, exuberant and usually lasted for days at a time. This “ball” almost seemed more subdued, more formal. She could feel her insides churning. She had a bad feeling about this. “I will have to dance?” Her dark eyes blazed, staring incredulously at her wisp. “Dance like them? Great goddess Masha, I don’t know how to!” <BR><BR>She hurled her shoe at her wisp, scowling as the creature neatly dodged it. “Oh go home. At least you’ll be spending the whole time eating. We can’t have you accidentally, or intentionally burning the pretty women’s hair and dresses.” Tenar shrieked, almost looking and sounding like the young maiden she was, and not the somber warrior she was forced to become. “Oh no! Gowns! What am I going to wear? And my hair! Curse Aribeth and her ridiculous balls!” <BR><BR>The bed shook as she fell on it, sighing. The Naran didn’t really want to go. She felt odd enough as it was in the city, let alone among other city dwellers with customs vastly different from that of her own. Several hours later, however, she found herself at Solivander’s, surrounded by beautiful, some familiar and some strange fabric, ornaments and garments. Maeglin had convinced her to go with him, despite her hesitations. Solivander seemed quite frazzled by the presence of her wisp. Everytime the creature's flames flickered too closely to one of his wares, he would shoo it away and then glare at Tenar. Meanwhile Aerin, who had met up with them once more, was watching the creature, fascinated. <BR><BR>Tenar's hands stroked a piece of green silk. "Lovely. Narannin silk from the southern region."<BR><BR>"You'd recognize your own silk indeed." Solivander grimaced. "Narrannin traders are a pain however. They drive hard bargains."<BR><BR>Tenar laughed, winking at Maeglin. Glancing around, she sighed. "Your women wear far too many garments. Layers of ridiculous unnecessary fabric. And they're very tight-fitting." <BR><BR>"You live in a hot climate, Tenar. It would not be practical for Narannin women to wear such dresses. Here, it is acceptable." Maeglin responded. He was eyeing something in the corner. "Tenar, I think that would look good on you," he said shyly. Tenar walked over with him towards the gown. It was made of velvet with rich red hues, long, flowing sleeves, a v-neckline, a tight bodice and a full skirt. It was, without a doubt, very elaborate and elegant. She hesitated, surprised by Maeglin. "I don't know. It doesn't suit me. Isn't it a little... a little too much?"<BR><BR>The thief shook his head. His eyes surveyed her frame quickly, albeit rather uncomfortably. Aerin grinned and cleared his throat. "What Maeglin is trying to say is that he thinks you would look quite fetching in it, my lady." <BR><BR>Maeglin rolled his eyes and glared at his old friend. Tenar consented finally, still quiet and mulling over the dress. She became more elated however when Aerin suggested they pick something out for Maeglin. They both laughed when a scowl came over the thief's face. "You would look ravishing in this, my friend." Aerin winked, holding up a puffy-sleeved shirt and a fancy lacy, purple vest with all sorts of intricate beadwork. <BR><BR>"I would rather slit my throat first," grumbled Maeglin. <BR><BR>Solivander sighed in irritation. "You people are having too much fun. Pick something and get out of here. I have more customers to attend to." <BR><BR>Tenar handed Maeglin a crisp white shirt with a high collar and a pair of black pants. "Hold these. I think these would fit you. Let's see now. Aerin, quit fooling around and help me with him. I know very little about such formal clothes." <BR><BR>Aerin chuckled some more. "Aye. She would make a fitting wife. Very bossy." Finally, they settled on a midnight blue vest, subtly embroidered, that suited him and the other garments they picked. On their way out, the will o'wisp aggravated Solivander by bursting into amber flames next to some silken dresses. The merchant yelled and chased the creature away with a cane.

Arthus went to his room to prepare for the upcoming ball ... " now when Buddy had a dress I need to find something suiting me as well.. " he thought on his way back .<BR><BR>Upon entering his room he noticed that first guests had arrived and that the halls of Never Winter Hold had filled with delicious aroma of freshly made food . " I'd better hurry ... " he thought to himself.<BR><BR>The choice of wardrobe was rather easy for Arthus as he didn't have a lot of clothing with him ... a tunic made of white dragon scales with golden engravings of his order banner, pants made of white dragon scales, white silk cloak , a medallion of his god at his neck and a parade sword at his side made his outfit for the ball complete .<BR><BR>After a short while he was ready to go to pick up Buddy and head for the ball . As he walked out from his room he accidentally hit a passing noble with his elbow while closing the door <BR><BR>" Watch what you doing you .... " the noble paused for a second measuring the man standing in front of him.<BR><BR>" My apologies sire " said Arthus and looked at the man he just hit <BR><BR>The man obviously noticed that Arthus was a paladin of the order of white dragon and without saying a word slightly bowed which meant that the apologies were accepted and that he hold no grudges against Arthus . Arthus bowed as well and headed toward Buddy's room.<BR><BR>He knocked on her door and after a while Buddy was standing in front of him in the dress that he bought for her ... she looked so beautiful that couple of passing by servants stopped for a while to take a quick look at her before being scolded by their masters ...<BR><BR>Even Arthus stood there for a while breathless and speechless gazing at his companion . Now she looked so different then the Buddy he used to know . The mighty warrior with an axe turned into the blossoming flower.<BR><BR>" My apologies for coming so late my lady " said Arthus and bowed toward Buddy to kiss her hand as it was in the tradition.<BR><BR>" shall we " said Buddy and pointed toward the halls where the ball would be held <BR><BR>" Of course my lady , and might I add that you look very pretty this night ... " he paused for a second then smiled at Buddy <BR><BR>" Thank you, you look fine yourself " said Buddy and smiled back at Arthus <BR><BR>After a short walk through the halls of the hold they entered a big hall with the tables on one side and a dance floor on the other side. The room was already filled with Nobles and knights from many places all waiting for appearance of Lady Aribeth, which will start the ball. <BR><BR>Arthus was about to take his seat when somebody tapped his shoulder from behind <BR><BR>" Arthus ... you here ? " <BR><BR>Arthus turned around to face the person talking to him and to his surprise it was his friend from the order of the white dragon.<BR><BR>Arthus bowed slightly toward his friend " Well met sir Ulrick " <BR><BR>The other knight just smiled " you know me better then that titles mean nothing to me so call me Ulrick "<BR><BR>Arthus just smiled back at his friend <BR><BR>" Indeed well met " said Ulrick <BR><BR>" Ulrick meet lady Buddy Ranger a long time companion of mine " Said Arthus and pointed at buddy " Lady Buddy this is my friend Ulrick ... we had joined the order at the same time but after my vows I didn't see him no more ... how many years it was again Ulrick ? "<BR><BR>Buddy bowed toward Ulrick and the knight did the same .<BR><BR>" Almost three years Arthus ... long time my friend but I see you are doing quiet good and the word in the order carries that you and your group had stopped the epidemic ... "<BR><BR>" Not me alone my friend ... there were many brave souls that accepted the task and without their help we would have never succeeded but let's not talk about the sad past while we have bright future to live for ... now let's enjoy the ball " said Arthus and headed with Buddy toward the table to take his seat and await for the lady Aribeth appearance

Buddy’s gaze could not linger for too long on any one point. All around her dancers swirled in a myriad of colors, and a tiny ensemble played a animated tune from their corner. The ballroom was beautifully decorated for the occasion. Wall hangings had been taken down and what replaced them now were long silk cloths of bright colors. Vivid paintings of heroic figures graced one of the walls, and a long table, covered with a length of red silk, stood near another wall. The large main entrance had people streaming through, and Buddy watched with immense curiosity as different kinds of costumes and dresses passed by where she stood. Peasant and noble alike were invited to the ball. Arthus was greeting one of his friends, Ulrick he called him.<BR><BR>Feeling a bit dazzled by the beauty of it all, Buddy faintly heard her name mentioned. Ulrick bowed deeply, his gaze remaining on her face, and Buddy, still dazed, bowed as well, out of politeness. After a while, Arthus steered Buddy towards a table, this one covered with green cloths. He drew out her chair for her, and Buddy took her seat. Arthus took his place next to her.<BR><BR>“I wonder where the rest of our companions are,” he muttered to her. The girl smiled and smoothed the material of her gown on her lap nervously.<BR>“Probably getting ready for this as well,” she replied with a little laugh. Arthus nodded. For a while not a word passed between them. The ensemble ended their song to the rousing applause of the audience. Arthus turned to Buddy.<BR><BR>“My Lady,” he began. Buddy was about to sat something herself, but stopped when Arthus started. He stood, face red, and Buddy felt slightly abashed. “Would you... May I have the pleasure of the next dance?” Buddy could feel herself visibly redden. In her life, she had only danced once with Kori, and it was he who taught her to dance. Not confident of her limited skills she shook her head, but Arthus insisted. Finally she nodded, albeit reluctantly, and accepted Arthus’ hand.<BR><BR>The ensemble struck up a lively tune, and Buddy found herself trying quite hard indeed to keep pace with the beat of the music. Arthus seemed to have no problem, and by the time the song ended, Buddy wanted out. Tiredly she slumped down into her chair, a broad smile on her face.<BR><BR>“Most unbecoming of a lady, don’t you think?” came a voice from behind her. Buddy jumped up, and turned. She almost shrieked when she saw who the one standing behind her was.<BR>“Kori!” she whispered, catching herself. She had not seen him for a long time, for they had lost contact since the previous ball Arthus had taken them to. Buddy smoothed her blue dress self-conciously, and Kori smiled at her.<BR>“That dress suits you fine, my lady,” he said, grinning. “They fed you well in here, eh? You’ve certainly grown. A lot.”<BR><BR>It was true. Buddy wouldn’t have noticed if Kori hadn’t pointed it out to her. She now stood taller, and was less lanky than she once was.<BR>“I haven’t been in here all that time, you know, Kori.” The boy laughed at this. He himself hadn’t changed much.<BR>“But of course, my lady. I’ve heard all about your daring exploits!”<BR><BR>Arthus brought their little reunion to a premature end when he decided to interrupt. “Here, you must be thirsty,” he said, handing Buddy a glass of mulled wine. “Hello, Kori,” he smiled when he saw the boy.<BR>“Hey, Arthus, sir.” Kori returned the greeting, in a seemingly good mood, Buddy thought. “You don’t mind if I whisk your partner from under your nose for a dance or two would you?”<BR>Arthus laughed, clearly amused. “If she doesn’t mind being stolen, then you’re welcome to her.”<BR>Buddy put on a mock frown. “If any of this talk continues I won’t dance with either of you!” They shared a laugh, and then Kori winked at Buddy.<BR><BR>“Come on then. I want to see if you’ve forgotten all that I’ve taught you, being out fighting the evils and such. See you, Sir Arthus!” With that, Kori led Buddy onto the dance floor yet again, amidst a slow waltz that was playing.<BR>

Thanasimos sat at his table by the wall, watching the dancers whirl about the gaily decorated ballroom. With its vaulted ceilings, chandeliers, panelled walls, elegant tapestries and rosewood floors, the ballroom was clearly intended to impress. Even more impressive however was the banquet.<BR>"Cailles à la Vigneronne," the man had said, "a beautiful dish. Quail, lightly seasoned and stuffed with goat cheese, topped with a creamy grape sauce."<BR>Thanasimos looked at the man, not sure what to make of him or his accent. His eyes flitted across the tale, not sure what he should choose.<BR>"Allow me to assist you sir," the man offered. "Pork filet mignon with onions and gratin dauphinois. You will never find a finer pork dish anywhere. The potato compliments it perfectly, but some find the addition of cheese to make the dish slightly rich." Moving down the table, the man continued, "Roast white veal in a white wine sauce, with roast potatoes and caramelized spring vegetables. Fabulous. The veal is particularly tender. Stuffed aubergines, stuffed peppers, stuffed tomatoes, stuffed zucchini. Ah! And here we have the pastas. Penne arrabbiato, wonderful if you are looking for something spicy. Baked nudini, different. We use a sort of crepe, tie it up in knots, and stuff it with four cheeses, sundried tomatoes, peppers, and cover it in a tomato basil sauce."<BR>Thanasimos followed the man, appalled at the excess of food. Not even a celebrations to the highest of the gods would warrant this much food.<BR>"And here we have the salads. Mescaline greens with red onions, baby spinach with walnuts and mandarins, our garden variety salad, greens with red onions, black olives, tomato, cucumber and feta. I recommend only a small amount of dressing. Far too many people smother it and destroy the flavour. Soups! We have leek, garden vegetable, cream of potato and onion, minestrone and a spicy tomato. Oh my!!" The man interrupted himself, "I nearly forgot the fish, not to mention the desserts."<BR>Thanasimos started to decline, but the server would have none of it. "Oh you must see our desserts. Profiteroli to die for, and the most exquisite chocolate mousse. My name is Massimo, by the way. Here are the fish! Oven-baked shark with shallots, teriyaki salmon, grilled, with rice and spring vegetables. Tiger shrimp, grilled in a spicy cajun sauce, also served with rice. Here we are! My favorites course! Here, you must try these. Profiteroli! It's lovely cream puff, soaked in chocolate mousse. Cool, sweet, the perfect end to every meal."<BR>Thanasimos thought of telling him that he hadn't started eating yet, but there didn't seem to be a point. He simply took the dessert and ate it. The man was right; it was indeed delicious. However, it was only food.<BR>Massimo waited for a response. His face fell when all he received for his pains was a lick of the lip and a blank stare. "But is it not diivne?" He prompted.<BR>"Only the gods are divine." Thanasimos answered blandly. "This is food."<BR>"This is food?" Massimo stared. "Certainly it is food! But is it not the finest food!?!" His shock was palpable.<BR>"It serves its purpose, as any other food does." Thanasimos answered.<BR>"And what would that be?" Massimo asked, "No wait, don't tell me. Nourishment."<BR>"Yes." Thanasimos answered.<BR>Massimo threw up his hands in disgust. "Nonsense!! Sit here at once and be fed!! No! Be entertained! Indulged! Truly nourished, not in body but in soul."<BR><BR>This was how Thanasimos found himself thrust into a table, watching the dancers. He had no choice but to accomodate his host.<BR>"And what wine do you prefer?" Massimo asked, placing several plates down on the table.<BR>"I do not drink wine," Thanasimos stated.<BR>"Ridiculous!! I will bring you a selection of our finest." Massimo declared as he wandered away.<BR>Thanasimos stared at the table before him. Even if he was capable of eating everything set before him, he would not based on principle alone. It would be gluttonous. Grudgingly, he took a stab at the roast veal. Chewing, he had to admit, it was better than what he was used to.

Arladion was the first to open the doors from the Guest Quarters, so he would walk into a room without any familiars. It was swarming with nobles already though. For some reason there was a disgusting smell in the air when he looked at them. They reeked of cowardice, or perhaps it was just their overdose of expensive perfume. Nonetheless, it didn’t make it very attractive for the half-elf to approach them, and pay them his respects with false courtesy.
So he didn’t.

That left the food, since dancing wasn’t an option because of the lack of (suitable) dance partners. He strolled over to the large table which hosted a grand buffet. It looked undeniably delicious, yet he started off small. He found himself a quiet table and started digging in. He didn’t get further than three bites. Mouthwatering as it was, he was tired and bored. I have to do something. Anything… I’d better see what’s keeping Davian, that’ll account for a nice walk around the Hold. Glad for his new purpose in mind, the ranger went back through the door, and nodded to the passing Arthus.

It was quiet in the halls. It seemed that almost every aid had been called to the ball to serve the guests. Davian’s room was just a little bit further up the hall. It occurred to him that it was probably a good idea to pick up their unsuspecting ‘dates’ afterwards. That thought awarded him a little more energy. I should do this thinking of good things more often, he thought to himself, it seems to have some nice perks coming with it.Ah, there is was: Davian’s room. It was quiet, but that didn’t mean anything. Davian wasn’t the loud type, in whatever situation. Perhaps he has fallen asleep… Dion opened the door silently, and peered in. No movement. But the door was unlocked, which wasn’t something Davian would do very quickly. He walked further in, until he heard shuffling in the room to his left. The room was the same as his, so that meant that it was in the dressing room. He sneaked up to the door and slowly opened it. He couldn’t help but laugh when he saw what was going on there.

Davian stopped instantly when he noticed his cousin peeking in and laughing at him. “What?!”
“I’m sorry Dav, I just.. I’ve just never seen you dancing in front of a mirror before. Or dancing at all. It’s… it’s not you!” he said, not being able to hold his laughing back.
“Well, you’d better get used to it, because my teacher said I had the makings of a dancer. Laugh all you want, I am not ashamed. You’re just jealous that you aren’t as good as I am.”
“Sure, sure, whatever makes you happy. I was just getting you to the ball, since there’s no one interesting there when I was boring myself to stupidity. What do you say we surprise Robyn and Fionavar, and escort them to the hall?”
”Sound like a good plan cous’, let me get my cloak and we’re off.”

The cousins chatted up a bit on their way to Fionavar’s room, which was closer than Robyn’s. Dion tried the door, but it was locked. It felt strangely warm though. But that wasn’t something to be concerned about. There was always Robyn’s room to try, where they had probably met up.
Yet Robyn’s door was locked too. There was no way they could’ve missed them on the way to the ball, since it was just one hall. But there was nothing else that they could do than continue the search. Diner room: empty. Kitchen: no one but personnel. Aribeth’s room: locked. Stables: vacated of any humanoids. Hold walls and towers: no one.

On their way back to the ball they walked past the Robyn’s room again. It was silent. They knocked. Still nothing but silence. Continuing the talking, they walked past Fionavar’s room. Suddenly there was knocking, paired with dampened shouts. Without hesitation, they rushed towards the door. The voices were definitely Robyn’s and Fionavar’s.
Arladion tried the door, but it wouldn’t budge. He pushed harder, until Davian tapped him on the shoulder to move aside. The barbarian took a few steps back, ran to the door and kicked it. A normal locked door would’ve opened on impact, or at least budged, but this one resisted. The half-elf moved back to where Davian was, nodded to him in understanding and shouted, “Step away from the door!”
He looked back at his cousin and said, “On three.”
”One….”
“Two…”
“Three!” Both stormed towards the door and jumped with shoulders first. The door not only budged, it broke from its hinges and landed flat on the floor, with Davian and Arladion on top.

Both looked up to find two dressed up ladies sitting on the bed, looking somewhat ashamed. “I might’ve been a bit too luxurious with the bathing,” Fionavar started.
“It warmed up the room, and the door probably sucked up the steam and expanded”, Robyn continued.
“But luckily your two heroes were here, or you would’ve been stuck up here all night” Davian concluded, grinning.
“You bet! I’m dying to get my hands on some good food!” Fionavar said, and took Davian’s hand and lead him out of the room. The two half-elves followed, after Dion extended a bent arm for Robyn.

Reunited with his friends, Dion found his tiredness all faded away. This is promising to be an exciting evening after all!

Alayna stared at her reflection in the mirror in sheer amazement. The girl that stared back at her looked like the ideal young lady, all perfectly made up and dressed, like an immaculately painted doll. Her brown hair was all done up at the top of her head, leaving two locks to fall down either side of her face, and her face, so often bereft of all rouge and other cosmetics, appeared to have been covered with enough for five women. And the dress! It was pretty, that much she could admit, but she had never felt so unreal in her life. It was almost as if she had been slipped into someone else’s skin. The shoes pinched her toes, for such fancy shoes were a world apart from the soft leather she was used to.

The ladies had already left, and so had her ‘friend’. Perhaps they trusted her enough not to ruin their effort… But if that was the case, their trust was mistaken. The assassin had let them have their share of fun dressing her up as they would a doll, but she never promised them that she would actually wear it. That was the beauty of words. You could let them believe whatever they wanted, but as long as you left a convenient loophole, their argument would fall through. And so, with a self-satisfied smile on her face, she removed the pins from her hair, shaking the brown waves free of their prison, allowing them to tumble down her back as she so often did, wiped the cosmetics off her face with a towel dipped in the water at the washstand, and tugged the irritating shoes off her feet.

Seated comfortably on her bed now, the girl wondered if she should keep the dress, or exchange it for something more comfortable, but more scandalous. It was a pretty dress, and it would be a shame to leave it here, to be returned to the Hold later. Besides, it wasn’t nice to waste people’s efforts just like that. But the layers of net beneath were just to scratchy against her skin. How those ladies could stand such discomfort for the sake of fashion was beyond her. Her dress might be offensive, but at least it provided more comfort than their puffy layers of tulle. With a shrug, she set to work on the cutting off of the irritating material after pulling it off her.

Less than an hour later, and surrounded by bits and pieces of net, but now owning a much more comfortable dress, she smiled in satisfaction in front of the mirror. The face that now stared back was definitely hers, and she did not resemble a doll so much now, especially after trading the nightmarish shoes for a pair of soft leather slippers she found lying in a corner of the closet, which coincidentally, fitted her perfectly, almost as if having been left there deliberately by someone who expected her to change her outfit. Another grin split her face at the thought of her old tutor’s reaction when he saw her. Yet even as she smiled, a thought flitted unbidden into her mind. Months before, the idea of her smiling so much, and forming bonds of friendship with people she only just met would have been absurd. But now, she mused, feeling the ring on her finger, she couldn’t imagine living any other lifestyle. This quest had added something into her life that wasn’t there before, and she was thankful for it. She gave an experimental spin in front of the mirror once more, and nodding with approval, left her room.

The ball was a most chaotic scene, with ladies and gentlemen sweeping across the floor so often that avoiding a collision was near impossible, even for her, and she had to stop and apologize fervently to the parties she had crashed into more than once, although they were at fault, for blocking a straight route to the banquet, which in her opinion, seemed the safest spot to stay at the moment, or at least until the dancers were exhausted enough to stop. Upon reaching the tables, she allowed one of the serving girls to fill her plate with some obscurely named dish, coolly refused the wine, and when they couldn’t find a free table, then found herself thrust into a seat, sharing the table with a most serious looking man. He looked utterly boring to her, and so she then proceeded to turn her attention to the food, tasting it, and marveling at the skill of the Hold’s chefs. Or then again, she might just have gotten too used to the food she had been eating for the whole of her journey, and so these dishes, cooked by men and women at the pinnacle of their career, seemed perfectly heavenly. A crystal goblet was placed next to her, and filled with champagne by a man. Smiling at him, she then turned her attention to her dinner companion. It would not be altogether unpleasant to be able to experience some intelligent conversation this night, and her companion seemed capable of it.

“Might I ask who you are? I do apologize, I have been away from NeverWinter for a while, and so am unable to recognize who you might be.”

Thanasimos looked at the woman who had been sat at his table. Before he could answer, the waiter Massimo returned.
"And they tell me you also, madame, do not drink!" Massimo clucked his tongue scoldingly. Such fine people who are here to do such fine and heroic activities for our little city should not deprive themselves! Drink! Be honoured!!" He produced a bottle. "I have brought you our finest merlot. You will no doubt find the flavour robust enough to suit your tastes. Here, sample."
He poured a small amount into a very large, very round goblet and handed it to Thanasimos. Thanasimos was tired of arguing, and obliged. He sipped the wine. The waiter did not exaggerate; it was fine indeed.
"Excellent!!" Massimo left the bottle on the table. "Drink all you wish." With flourish, he left.
Thanasimos looked at the bottle. Well, it could stay there. He looked at the woman. She had refused wine and obviously was not painted as so many of the whores dancing about the room, so she was not entirely without breeding. But her unrestrained hair and dress left much to be desired; it was too provocative.
"I am Thanasimos Lycurgos." He answered. "I arrived only yesterday."
"So you are not from Neverwinter." the woman prodded.
"No." was the reply.
The woman looked at him, waiting for something. Thanasimos looked at his plate again. It had suddenly occured to him that he had a problem: no matter what he did tonight, he would be guilty of a most grievous waste of food. He pushed his plate away.
"Not hungry?" The woman asked.
"Indeed not." He answered. "There is enough food here to feed an entire army for a week, and our hosts would expect us few to consume it all in one evening."
"I am sure it is not expected." The woman responded. "They are simply being good hosts. I certainly have never had such fine food."
"The gods are grieved by such waste."
The woman did not answer, but merely looked at him. She took another bite and tried to continue the conversation.
"So, if you are not from Neverwinter, where are you from?"
"My tribe lives far to the north of here."
"Ahh." She said. "A barbarian."
"No."
There was silence again. The woman continued to eat.
"I am Alayna." She said after a while.
"Greetings." Thanasimos replied sternly.
There was another momeant of silence.
Abruptly, Massimo returned. "The food is not to your liking?" He asked.
"The food is fine." Thanasimos replied. "I have simply had enough."
"Perhaps you would care for..." Massimo began.
"No." Thanasimos interrupted. "I have had enough."
"Very well." Massimo sighed and took his plate away.
The woman looked at him.
"It's not a sin to eat you know."
Thanasimos merely blinked at her. What a ridiculous statement! "It is most certainly sin to feed anyone this much." He replied.
"It's a party!"
"It does not matter."
"What?! Don't your gods like a party now and then?" The woman looked at him in disbelief. She was obviously an infidel.
"No." came the cool reply.

drieske wrote:As the twilight sets in, Robyn finally sees the contours of <b>Never Winter</b> spring to life. A soft tired sigh escapes her throat, not long to go now... her staff firmly in hand, she walks on<BR><BR>Coming upon the outer quarters of the city, she almost staggers, but hardening her resolve, she lifts her chin and heads straight to the inn, whose warm lights are beckoning to come closer.<BR><BR>"'Wayfarers Tavern', how appropriate," she smiles to herself, and then firmly opens the door. Squinting her eyes she halts on the threshold, sweeping her gaze over the people that are gathered there. Robyn throws back her hood and walks towards the bar, waiting patiently untill the barkeeper sets eyes on her. <BR><BR>"Would you be so kind to pour me a glass of red wine my good man?", she asks in a soft voice, "and something to eat as well, bread and cheese will do." She then turns around and tentatively uses her senses to taste the atmosphere...

This is a very nice passage. It has a wonderful feel to it. Nicely done Drieske! Nicely done all of you. I am looking forward to reading the rest of this.